Music baton

[mikekn]

The music bloggame, passed to me from jducoeur

1. Total amount of music files on your computer?

404 files on my laptop.  These mostly overlap with the 1780 on my PC at home.  About half is a Dr. Demento collection plus some stuff I pulled together for a few Halloween CDs.  The other half is ripped from my CDs but I've not really done much - just ripping stuff as I play it.  No clue how much I'll have when I start that project.

2. The last cd you bought was...

Bought a few all at once right after our Vegas trip:
Queen II
We Will Rock You: Rock Theatrical (Original Cast Recording)
Essential Adam Ant
Down Here - Tracy Bonham

We saw We Will Rock You when we were there and really enjoyed it.  There were several songs I didn't know and it turns out they were all from the Queen II album.  Tracy's CD had been on my wish list for a while, so it was time to get it and the Adam Ant one was because I didn't have anything of his and I wanted an overview before getting more.  I knew a few of his songs, but never had the opportunity to hear more.  Now at least I can put They Might Be Giants' XTC vs. Adam Ant into better perspective :)

3. What was the last song you listened to before reading this message?

No clue, as I read it several days ago.  However the last song I heard before typing this was:
Switchblade Kittens - Ode to Harry Potter (With Sympathy for Ginny Weasley)

4. Write down five songs you often listen to or mean a lot to you and why.

Ugh.  I listen to whole albums usually - rarely seeking out individual songs.  I tend to listen to new stuff more often then older stuff, but overall I've heard the older stuff more.  Still, I'm going to steal the categories jducoeur used and see what I can come up with. 

Rock: Moody Blues, "I'm Just a Singer".  Ok, this one was hard, so I reached back to one of the first groups I paid any attention to.  I didn't really get into music, let alone popular music until high school.  Before that I probably had four or five music tapes (and 20-30 comedy tapes), and that was it.  The Moody Blues were one of the first groups I listened to extensively and still enjoy today (but mostly only the stuff from 1967 to 1974).  "I'm Just a Singer" was chosen almost randomly because there are so many of their songs that I like.  Their music helped establish in me a bit of the sixties mentality as well as a fondness for good music, with a variety of instruments and lyrics with meaning (that are easy to hear - there are a lot of great songs out there, but if I have to look up the words cause I can't hear them over the music then they just don't cut it most of the time).

Classical: Symphony No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40 - S. Prokofiev.  This is one of the first classical piece that really painted a picture in my mind (without the use of a Bugs Bunny or Disney cartoon).  Mind you, the picture was one of cute peaceful woodland creatures fleeing in terror from some horror.  I first heard this as part of a classical series at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.  I had gotten tickets to hear the USSR State Symphony Orchestra, but then the Soviet Union collapsed.  The show still went on, only they now called themselves the Russian State Symphony Orchestra.  The copy I own is a Russian CD of the Moscow Philharmonic. 
Since then I've always sought out "evil" sounding classical pieces (Night on Bald Mountain, O Fortuna, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Dance Macabre, etc...)

Humor: This is also going to have to be a random pick.  Monty Python wins the oft listened to award (as would Tom Leher and Weird Al, but I've been listen to Python longer).  The Contractual Obligation Album was my favorite (I say was because I only have it on tape and don't get to listen to tapes very often.  Most of the songs are on the Monty Python Sings CD).  My favorite song is "All Things Dull and Ugly" (God made a lot of great stuff, but he's also responsible for the crap), and songs like "Decomposing Composers", "Medical Love Song", "I Like Chinese" made it almost...um...educational :)

Show: Easy to pick a musical - Camelot - hard to pick a song.  It's not the greatest musical, and none of the songs really stand out, but it's been a long time favorite.  My mom had the soundtrack to the movie and played it a lot (along with Cabaret and Sweet Charity - there are some interesting tunes for a young boy).  Instead I think I'll go with "Last Midnight" from Into the Woods.  Fun musical, great song, and I love hearing Bernadette Peters sing it as she points out what a bunch of selfish idiots the rest of the cast has been :)

Told a little lie, stole a little gold, broke a little vow,
Did you?
Had to get your Prince, had to get your cow,
Have to get your wish, doesn't matter how..
Anyway, it doesn't matter now.
It's the last midnight,
It's the boom--
Splat!
Nothing but a vast midnight,
Everybody smashed flat!

Folk: "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" written by Eric Bogel but performed by Clam Chowder.  My Clam Chowder tapes were among my most heavily played.  This song always hits me with it's powerful emotional message, as does their version of Bogel's "No Man's Land".

Interestingly enough, this list looks nothing like I thought it would when I first started this post. 
(Want to see others?  Suggest a category) 

5. What new music are you really excited for in the coming year so far?

I'm excited about the new music I will discover this year, and as such I have no idea what it is yet.  I don't really keep up with what is coming out even from my favorite artists, so everything is a surprise.

6. What 5 people are you going to pass this baton to and why?

sansobel - because I know she loves music and probably has a good answer to #4.
kathy_the_geek - because she recently gave me a great new CD of someone I never heard before.
eclectic_1 - although we've never met, she indirectly introduced me to CDBaby
fionawolf - pure curiosity - I know nothing about her musical tastes
lemonherb - pure curiosity - I know lots about his tastes from his posts, and most of it is stuff I've never heard

Added bonus: Currently in the CD changer:
1. Here Come The Mummies - Terrifying Funk from Beyond the Grave
2. The Essential Adam Ant
3. Mondo Heptet - Jump Yer Bones
4. Mr. Opporknockity - The Greatest O on Earth
5. The Tim Malloys - Drunkards, Bastards, and Blackguards
6. Rasputina - Thanks for the Ether

Comments

[fionawolf.livejournal.com]

You probably don't know much about my musical tastes because...well...I don't really have any.
But I will try valiantly to complete the meme.

[mikekn]

You listen to music so you'll have some sort of tastes (and I see you've already posted your answers). Thanks for playing along :)

[cellio]

Folk: "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" written by Eric Bogel but performed by Clam Chowder. My Clam Chowder tapes were among my most heavily played. This song always hits me with it's powerful emotional message, as does their version of Bogel's "No Man's Land".

On the basis of Clam Chowder's performances of Matilda I sought out Eric Bogle, who I'd not previously heard of. I found some LPs published only in Australia, and eventually some US-published ones, and learned that he has lots of good music. He's a pretty amazing performer, too -- he can just reach out from the stage (or the speakers) and twing your heartstrings. He came to Pittsburgh once and gave a concert in an obscure little tavern for maybe 100 people, and it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to.

(Hmm. I'd like to get those LPs rescued onto CD before turntables go the way of the dinosaur, but I don't have those clues.)

Clam Chowder has re-released some of those early recordings on CD, by the way.

[mikekn]

Very cool! Would have loved to been at the concerts.

I did a quick search and found a place in Scotland selling his stuff on CD. Amazon also seems to have a few.

I've gotten all the Clam Chowder CDs to date, and I keep hoping for more. There are still several songs that they do that haven't made it to CD, plus a bunch they never recorded (many of which they probably can't record for one reason or another).

[jducoeur]

Queen II

Another of my favorite groups -- I have all of their recordings, although some of the older ones only on vinyl. Queen II is solid, although not my favorite. A Night at the Opera is my hands-down favorite album of theirs -- I truly love both '39 and The Prophet's Song, and Bohemian Rhapsody is a fine kicker.

Essential Adam Ant

Never deep, but always fun. My favorite album is Manners and Physique, although I suspect that the best tracks from that are probably on Essential.

My Clam Chowder tapes were among my most heavily played.

Oh, yeah, and I agree that I love their Bogle covers. We have most of the stuff they've published (although I believe we gave the vinyl copy of For Here or To Go to my Dad, and I have no idea where he put it). There's an awful lot that hasn't made it to CD yet, and I have no idea how much will do so. Really need to start seriously ripping the tapes that I care about...

Curiously, aside from the Adam Ant, the rest of the stuff in your CD changer is entirely groups I *don't* know. What are they like?

[mikekn]

I really need a better setup for ripping tapes, but I've done some in the past (interestingly it was SCA dance music - we couldn't book musicians one year, so we created a CD to match out dance list.)

1. Here Come The Mummies - Terrifying Funk from Beyond the Grave
A CDBaby find, not sure what I was looking for when I found it though. Probably linked through their "if you like this" section. Very upbeat, fun, and funky. They've got some track at CDBaby and more at their website.

3. Mondo Heptet - Jump Yer Bones
Another CDBaby find. This one more of a swing sound with (although twisted swing).

4. Mr. Opporknockity - The Greatest O on Earth
Yes, once again a CDBaby find. Actually their third album (but the only one I have so far). Their sound reminds me of the Barenaked Ladies, but not a clone. (Sorry, I'm not very good at describing these - and in this case, I'm only on my second or third listen)

5. The Tim Malloys - Drunkards, Bastards, and Blackguards
Not a CDBaby find :) Rowdy Irish music from rowdy Irish musicians (who happen to live in the midwest). Great stuff. They are supposed to have their first CD available for downloading, but I can't get the links to work.

6. Rasputina - Thanks for the Ether
Probably best described as cello goth rock. Probably best not described at all, but rather heard. They've got some samples on their website, and Amazon has some as well.

[jducoeur]

All sound potentially interesting. More stuff to play with -- thanks!